Liquid filter valve structure



Nv. 1l, 1947. H. w. MATLO'CK LIQUID VALVE STRUCTURE Filed Feb.I 7, 1945 INVENTOR. HENRY M/.NA-rLocn Patented Nov. 1l., 1947 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE ,f-,430,578 iirQUriD FILTER vALv srituo'riirtii Henry W. Matlock, Garfieldl Heights,Y Qhio, as;- signor to Air-Maze lCorperation,V Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware' Application February 7, 19451,` Seriali Nd.Q S'ZG-f I Claim. l

This invention relates toa n-ovel valve structure in connection with a liquid lter and more specifically relates to an improvement in a relief va-lve structure.

An object of the present invention is tol pro'- violeV in combination with a liquid lter and a pilot member for holding the -lter in assembled position, av relief valve structure built into the pilot mem-ber and adapted to open in an emergency to permit a liquid flow in case the lter becomes plugged. ,A

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and specication, and the essential features thereof will be summarized in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Y

F'ig- 1 is a view of one embodiment of my device partly in elevation and partly in central sectional View to more clearly show the structure;

. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to the lower portion of Fig. 1 and showing the relief valve in open position; while Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line li-fl of Fig. 1.

I have chosen to illustrate my invention associated with a liquid filter of the general type shown in the copending application of George M. Walton, Serial Number 483,911, filed April 21, 1943. The main parts of such a lter comprise a housing I which may be in one piece, but which here is shown as comprising a lower portion Illa and an upper portion Iilb secured together by the cap screws II. Liquid inlet to this housing is by way of the passageway A and the outlet is through the passageway B. Mounted in the housing are a plurality of filter packs I3 of leaf-form. It is not deemed necessary to show the details of these packs here, but it is sufficient to say that they may be of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned Walton application or in the copending application of Robert A. Behlen, Serial Number 516,616, filed January 1, 1944, or they may be of any other suitable form. Each of the packs I3 is of annular form having a iiltering surface on both the upper and lower faces and having a hollow central portion which communicates through the slotted openings Ma of the central tube I4 with the interior of the tube. A series of the packs I3 are held in assembled parallel position on the tube I4 with spacing rings I3 between them, by means of a (c1. iro-1st) 2, nut (not shown) threaded'- o'n the upper end of tubeY IfI. The upper end of tube I4 is` closed by mea-ns (not slfio'wn,l but which is housed in the cap 2fIE whose lower edgel has" af threaded' connec: tionI Withgth'e upper portion of the housing IIl'.- The hand wheel 22 has a threaded connection with this means for closing theV end of tube` lli and holds a-lf1 of theA parts assembled in' the posi; tion shown inE the drawings. It'I should be obvious' from the above description that in the normal operation' ci the device, liquid to be iiltered entersj through the opening A and passes' through' the lteri-ng surfaces of the; disks or packs I3 d'epositing the entrainedf particles' on the filter sur-v ta'ces.- The clean liquid passes through the cen-^ traly portion ofeachgdiskl, thenthroughL thef slotst Ma, thenv downwardly through tube' Ifllh and out through thef passageway B:

Means is provided for centering and properly positioning the sub-assembly consisting of the packs I3 and the tube I4. This means comprises the pilot member I5 which is threaded on the lower end of tube I4 at I6. The shoulder I5a on the pilot then forms the lowermost abutment for holding the packs I3 in place on the tube I4. The cylindrical side walls of the pilot I5 t tightly in the opening Ic of a partition wall in the housing Illa. It will be noted that the pilot I5 is of cup-shape opening downwardly, and I utilize the hollow portion within the cup-shape member for the housing of my improved relief valve structure.

The annular wall |519 of the pilot I5 has its inner surface in threaded connection with the tube Ill as previously mentioned. The outer surface oi this wall |517 is of smooth cylindrical form and serves to hold and guide the relief valve I1 which is an annular ring, L-shape in section and having a sleeve portion Ila which ts slidingly on the outer surface of wall |519. The ange I'Ib extends radially outwardly from the sleeve portion Ila and provides the relief valve which acts to normally close the openings I8 through the top wall of the pilot I5. A helical spring I9 surrounds the sleeve portion Ila and is held under initial compression by means of the nut 20 threaded on the lower end of tube I. Preferably, this nut is wired, as indicated at 23, to the pilot member I5 so as to prevent accidental slackening of the nut which would permit a loosening of the parts assembled on tube I4.

The normal position of the relief valve is indicated in Fig 1 where the spring I9 presses the ange portionV IIb tightly against the upper wall of the pilot I5 closing the openings I8 against the passage of liquid. If the lter becomes plugged, then the difference in pressure in the part of the housing I communicating with passageway A becomes sufficiently greater than the pressure in the outlet passageway B to move the relief valve II from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 3 permitting the escape of liquid directly from the main portion of housing I0 through the openings I8 and into the outlet passageway B. Obviously, when the excess pressure condition is relieved, the spring I9 closes the valve I8 and the filter resumes its normal operation. Generally, it will be necessary to release the hand wheel 22, unscrew the cap 2l, and remove the tube I4 with its assembled packs I3 for the purpose of cleaning the accumulated ltrate from the surfaces of the packs I3 in order to relieve the excess pressure condition mentioned above. In such case, the pilot I and the assembled relief valve structure is removed along with the tube I4 but need no-t necessarily be disturbed during the Washing operation of the packs I3. When the parts are reassembled in the position shown in Fig. 1, the relief valve is ready to function as previously described.

The tube I li and pilot member I5 are held in their assembled position shown in the drawings by means of welding the top of tube I4 to the cap 2|. This is not shown as any suitable securing means may be used for this purpose.

What I claim is:

In a liquid lter having a housing provided with a liquid inlet and having a liquid outlet at one end of said housing, a iilter element in said housing including a central perforated tube surrounded by ltering means adapted to lter liquid passing from the chamber of said housing inwardly toward said tube, said housing having an opening at its end opposite said outlet through which said element including said tube may be removed, closure means for said opening, a cupshape pilot member secured to one end of said tube with the bottom wall of said cup-shape member toward said filtering means, the side Walls of said cup-shape member adapted to slidingly enter said outlet, there being one or more openings through said bottom wall of said cupshape member communicating with the interior of said housing outside said element, a valve in said cup-shape member for closing said openings, and spring means urging said valve closed.

HENRY W. MATLOCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,165,640 Utz et a1. Dec, 28, 1915 2,294,330 Clark Aug. 25, 1942 1,909,308 Nugent May 16, 1933 511,798 Rankine Jan. 2, 1894 1,869,589 Tischer Aug. 2, 1932 1,676,268 Lipscomb July 10, 1928 1,944,550 Ericson Jan, 23, 1934 2,088,199 Gleason July 2'7, 1937 2,311,320 Williams Feb, 16, 1943 2,057,932 Bolser Oct. 20, 1936 1,619,118 Guy et al Mar. 1, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 549,086 Germany Apr. 22, 1932 

